Aerospace Manufacturer Finds Major Waste During VSM Event
Based on financial analysis of their plant, the CEO identified one particular product that had significant past due orders and needed to increase productivity in order to get to profitability.
A cross-functional team was put together representing the best resources from the product support team and production leads, along with a mix of union and non-union workers.
They were sure exactly where the problem areas were, so we suggested starting with a Value Stream Mapping (VSM) event.
We decided to shorten the prep work in order to prevent delaying the event, and we jumped into the event using estimates and team feedback for the timelines and data. We also invited some analysts to pull real-time data as needed.
They wanted to commit no more than 3 days to the event, so we created an event agenda to help guide the team.
The week prior to the event, the CEO gathered the team of 15 people in a room and explained the purpose of the event and the expectations. This set the tone for a productive session.
Day 1
- Kickoff – why are we here?
- Lean training
- Lean overview
- 5 Lean Principles
- Value Stream Mapping
- Takt Time
- Notecard simulation
- Gemba walk / tour
- Spaghetti Diagram
- Current State map + wastes
- Leader update
Day 2
- Ideal State
- Future State Map
- Gap Analysis and Improvements
- Leader update
Day 3
- Separate short vs long term actions
- Develop 90-day plan with benefits
- Assign owners and timeline
- Change management
- Prepare report out
- Leadership final report out
Typically, we finish the 90-day action plan at the end of the event. This event was progressing well (ahead of schedule), so we were able to convert the 3rd day into a kaizen session, where we started working on the action items identified in the 90-day plan. We even finished a few actions items before the management report out, and were able to get more details and financial analysis for the major projects identified.
During the final report out, the CEO invited all members of his staff to attend. Each member of the event team was able to present and explain how we arrived at each action on the 90-day plan.
Once the actions are completed on the plan, it will result in a lead time reduction from 4 weeks to 3 weeks (25% reduction) and a cycle time reduction from 85 hours to 70 hours (about 20%).
